The invention relates generally to bed mattresses.
A majority of bed mattresses on the market today generally consist of a plurality of coil springs linked together to form a mattress core, overtop of which is layered a foam and cloth cover. The coil spring core acts to distribute the user""s weight as he or she sleeps on the mattress. The foam and cloth cover protects the coil spring core and adds to the comfort of the mattress by helping to distribute the user""s weight. A properly constructed mattress supports the user""s weight evenly, thereby maintaining good posture and comfort. The resilient strength of the coil springs sets the firmness of the mattress, the firmer the springs used, the firmer the resulting mattress.
While coil spring mattress are very popular, there are other types of mattresses which provide superior comfort and durability. Foam core mattresses are particularly popular, since the solid foam core incorporated into these mattresses are very effective in supporting the user""s body weight in a uniform and comfortable manner. The foam used in these solid foam core mattresses must be of higher density and superior resiliency, which tends to make these mattresses more expensive. Another superior mattresses construction combines a series of elongated foam cores with a series of wooden slats perpendicularly arranged on top of the foam cores. The wooden slats are attached to the foam cores by a plurality of fabric pockets which are sewn together to form a cover for the foam core. The slats are inserted into the pockets and then the foam core is inserted into the slat and cover combination. A thick mattress covering, or topper, is then covered over the foam core and slat combination. This slat and foam construction results in a mattress having superior comfort and support; however, the cost of assembly tend to make such mattresses prohibitively expensive.
In accordance with the present invention, the present invention overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art by providing a mattress which combines the superior comfort of slat and foam core construction, yet is economical and easy to construct. The mattress construction of the present invention consists of a series of elongated foam members positioned adjacent each other in parallel, a plurality of foam blocks separating each elongated foam member, a series of parallel slots formed along one surface of each elongated foam member, the slots extending perpendicularly across the surface of each foam member, and a series of elongated slats mounted perpendicularly to the foam members. The slats are dimensioned and configured to fit within the slots of adjacent foam members such that the slats lie flush with respect to the surface of each foam member. The slats are held in place on each foam member by an elongated web which is bonded to the surface of each foam member. Each web extends between the opposite ends of each foam member and is dimensioned to cover over the slats where the slats overlap the foam member. Finally, the mattress construction includes a mattress cover which encloses the foam members and slats.
With the foregoing in view, and other advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, the invention is herein described by reference to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, which includes a description of the preferred typical embodiment of the principles of the present invention.